Two-pack a day smoker gave up after reaching his rock bottom

Chatman man who started smoking at 12 used Canadian Cancer Society’s Smokers’ Helpline to quit

Quitting smoking takes a lot of hard work and dedication, as one Chatman discovered over a more than 30-year period.

By:Manisha KrishnanSpecial to the Star, Published on Tue Dec 17 2013

Jeff Smith is no stranger to quitting smoking.

Over his 37 years puffing cigarettes, he tried to quit dozens of times, sometimes lasting a few hours, other times, a few months. He once tried to quit every day for three months straight, failing every single time. But finally, something stuck.

Three-and-a-half years ago, Smith’s wife came home and found him smoking cigarettes. She was upset — he told her he had quit months earlier but had been smoking in secret.

“She got mad because I had been lying to her,” says the 49-year-old Chatham resident.

The next morning, Smith told himself he was having his “last cigarette.” But it would take several months for him to give up the habit for good. In July 2010, he tried again, and has been clean ever since.

“I bought a box of patches and decided I’d try it that way,” says Smith, who had simply gone cold turkey in previous attempts.

A week in he was still smoke-free, but didn’t like the side-effects from the patches so he went back to cold turkey, brushing his teeth whenever he felt a craving — up to 10 times a day.

Smith, who grew up in Pickering, started smoking cigarettes at the age of 12. Before long, he was addicted; smoking two packs a day at his peak.

“I liked the calming effect, the relaxation,” he says.

His attempts to quit over the years always failed, he says, because he wasn’t doing it for the right reasons. He was thinking about his family, but not himself.

“I wasn’t ready to give it up for good, I hadn’t gone to the bottom yet,” Smith admits.

He developed chronic bronchitis and prostate cancer, but continued to smoke.

Once he was finally on track, one factor that helped Smith was the Canadian Cancer Society’s Smokers’ Helpline. The program’s online services include forums where former smokers can motivate each other via instant messaging. Members also have access to informational emails, cravings diaries, exercises and a Quit Meter to track progress.

“We work through mutual support and care for one another,” says Smith.

“There’s no shame, no guilt, no nothing to say that I failed. Just an open arms policy.”

Although he has successfully stopped smoking, Smith continues to be a part of the support group to help others in the same situation.

As for how his life has changed since he stopped smoking, Smith says his health has improved; he no longer suffers from bronchitis and rarely gets sick. He’s also saved an estimated $16,600 in the cost of cigarettes and has added more than 206 days to his life.

“This quit has been like no other quit, because it’s the first time I’ve been totally honest with myself,” he says. “When I was able to be honest, the light at the end of the tunnel became a little brighter.”